33 (2)

"Yes, Hashirama-kun…I'm listening?" said Mito with a terrifying crimson red aura surrounding her, which made her appearance even more sinister looking, making the male members of the group just as nervous.

Seeing the terrifying aura coming from his great grandmother, Naruto could not help but notice how similar it was to the same aura that his sensei Kushina gave out when she was pissed off. This of course made the blonde wonder if this was some kind of trait that all Uzumaki women shared. It would also explain why his mother gave off a similar kind of aura when she was mad as well.

After a while though Mito decided to drop the matter, causing her husband to sigh in relief and thank the Heavens.

But his relief was short lived as Mito then told him in a tone was that all too sweet, that they would talk about the matter later.

This of course, made the late Hokage gulp audibly and shiver in fear, and made him wonder if he would be better off being sealed inside the Shinigami's stomach for all of entirety.

Seeing Hashirama cower in the fear in the face of his wife's anger, the younger Senju brother smirked. Since despite common belief, Hashimaru could be brought to heel quite quickly by others, like Tobirama. He was also prone to sulking when reprimanded by others, like his wife.

But then again Mito was not someone who was to be underestimated, as during her prime, Mito was regarded as the strongest Kunoichi alive to the point where even Tobirama was fearful of angering her.

After breathing a small sigh of relief, the Shodai turned back to Naruto a smile at his great grandson. He had noted the similarity of Naruto's relationship with Mai when compared to his son and his wife's, since he had been the one who found them making out in the training area. Something that still brought a smile to his face given the embarrass looks the two had when he found them, and how they tried to untangle themselves from one another and fix the dishevelled clothing.

This of course made the Shdaoi smile even more, since male Senju had a knack for attracting women strong willed women, who could put them in their place when needed.

After a little while, Hashirama decided to move the conversation along and away from past events and onto the matter to which he wanted to speak to Naruto.

"Tell me Naruto-kun, what do you know of our Clan history?"

"Eh, well I know that we were a famous Clan of Shinobi, and we were regarded by most as the strongest Clan at the time. The only Clan that could challenge us was the Uchiha Clan who were our biggest rivals back during the Shinobi Clan Wars. I also know that the Uzumaki Clan and us are distantly related, where we share a common ancestor."

"Hmm, I see, well then I guess I have much to tell you then" said Hashirama.

"What do you mean?"

"Well you see our conflict with the Uchiha Clan goes much deeper than simple rivalry. In fact one could call it a family feud."

"A family feud?" repeated Naruto not fully understanding his ancestor.

"Yes for you see like the Uzumaki and our Clan, we share a common ancestry to the Uchiha Clan."

"Wait are saying that Sasuke and I are related?"

"In a way, but distantly" said the Nidaime.

"So would that mean that the Hyuga Clan also related to us? Since I had heard that the Uchiha Clan Sharingan derived from the Hyuga Clan."

"Who told you that?" the Nidaime asked in surprise.

"It a story that has been mention around the village."

"Well whoever told you that is wrong" said Hashirama. "Although like our Clan and the Uzumaki Clan, the Hyuga and Uchiha Clans do share a common ancestry with one another. But neither the Uchiha Clan nor the Sharinagn sprung from the Hyuga Clan, also unlike Uzumaki and our Clan, they do not share a close relationship with one another."

"If I were to guess I would say someone from the Hyuga Clan made up that story and spread that story around, so to elevate their Clan's status after the Uchiha Clan were wiped out" Itsuki remarked.

"I wouldn't be surprise" muttered Naruto, since if Neji had been any indication; the Hyuga Clan probably had several rather arrogant members who would do something like that.

"If we share the same ancestry, then why has there been so much fighting between us and the Uchiha Clan" Naruto asked. Since if they shared a common heritage, they could find common ground and have good relations with one another.

"I'm afraid that reason goes back almost a thousand years ago, back to the time before Shinobi existed" answered Hashirama sadly.

"Hashirmara, this is no time for a history lesson, move on to matters that actually matter now" said the Nidaime in a no-nonsense tone. Finding that a history lesson of their Clan's beginning was not relevant to what was happening to Konoha.

After being reprimanded by his brother a dark cloud of depression hung over the Shodai Hokage, who began to sulk.

"Why you're always being so mean to me Tobimara?" mumbled Hashirmara, who was now acting like a child, who had just been scolded by his father.

"Because you're always acting like a little kid, especially when you start sulking when someone lectures you!" yelled the younger of the Senju brothers angrily, since he was always irked by how childish his brother could be.

As this was happening, Naruto was left slacked-jawed by his ancestor's behavior, who was now acting like a five year old, and allowed his "younger" brother push him around and scold him.

After hearing all the stories about his great grandfather, Naruto had expected a wise and powerful Shinobi, a natural leader brimming with confidence and held aura of authority that demanded respect.

But seeing how different reality and fantasy were, the young blonde found himself now questioning some of the other stories that he had been told about his great grandfather.

Eventually though Hashirmara was knocked out of his depression by a hard slap to the back of his head from his wife.

"Hashirmara! Act your age and stop embarrassing yourself" scolded the red headed woman before turning to Tobimara. "And you, stop being cruel to brother, you know full well that Hashirmara-kun's was never able resolve his bouts of depression. Besides Naruto-kun needs to hear this, he has a right to know about his lineage and where he comes from. By learning about the origins of the Senju Clan, perhaps he can learn from the mistake that we made, and prevent history from repeating itself."

When Mito finished the younger of the two Senju brothers just rolled his eyes at his brother's wife scolding.

Seeing this, Mito gave her brother-law one of her famed Death glares, (which could cow even her husband), daring the Nidaime Hokage to make a retort.

Upon meeting Mito's glare, the Nidaime, who was about to remark on how Mito was acting like a mother hen, flinched slightly, and wisely decided to keep the comparison to himself.

"Now then Hashirmara-kun please continue" said Mito with a kind smile to her husband, before turning to the Nidaime, "…if that is alright with you Tobimara-kun?" where she then gave the gray haired Shinobi another deadly glare, who again wisely remained silent, not wanting to anger the red headed woman any further and simply waved his hand, signally for them to continue.

By this time everything was settled, Naruto and the others all had large sweat drops at the back of their heads, not really believing what they had seen.

Naruto was of course the most unnerved of the others, and was beginning to get a better understanding of his family.

"I take back what I said earlier, Kaa-chan clearly gets her scary side from Mito-baachan!" the blonde boy thought with a slight shudder, since the way his great grandmother had handled the two former Hokage, reminded him of how his mother would handle Jiraiya or the Sandaime when she was pissed off, only with less collateral damage.

He also began to wonder why his great grandmother never tried to become Hokage. Anyone who can cow the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage, the two strongest Shinobi of their time, was clearly someone to be feared and respected.

After a few minutes Hashirmara finally got over his depression and started to tell his story again. "Ahem…! Well let's see, where was I…oh yes now I remember, you see during this dark time, nations fought each other constantly, where when one war ended another one would begin in an endless cycle of violence and hatred. At that time it seemed as if the world would tear itself apart from all the fighting, which was why it became known as the age of endless war. But then one day a man rose, a young monk in fact, who possessed a unique Bloodline limit called the Rinnegan."

"The Rinnegan?" repeated Naruto, "You mean a Doujustu like the Byakugan and the Sharingan."

"Yes, although the Rinnegan is much more powerful than Byakugan or the Sharingan. According to our legends it was said to have given the monk great power, allowing him to discover the truth of chakra, thus allowing him to bring forth all Ninjutsu."

"How did he do that?" Naruto asked not fully understanding.

"According to legend one of the gifts that the Rinnegan bestowed on the monk was the ability to master all five basic nature transformations that form the basis of Ninjutsu. In essence the Rinnegan gave him all five primary nature affinities."

"No way?!" said Naruto in shock.

"Yes, although that was only one of the abilities he gained, since according to legend it gave him several others abilities, but what they are remains unknown. It is said though that once he mastered the Rinnegan he went out into the world and tried to lead it into an era of peace instead of conflict. He travelled across the land, spreading his ideal and religion, the Ninshū (Shinobi Sect), which eventually came to be known as Ninjutsu. His great deeds and ultimate desire to bring peace to the war-torn world made him widely known as the Kono Yo no Kyūseishu, (The Saviour of this World). But he was primarily known as the Rikudō Sennin, and because he was the one who founded Ninjutsu and the Shinobi world. He also became known the Kami no Shinobi (God of Shinobi)…"

"So that's what Ero-sennin meant when he said the originally Kami no Shinobi!" Naruto thought. But before he could comment any what he had been told the Shodai continued with his story.

"But despite the Rikudō Sennin's god-like power, he was still mortal and could not achieve his ultimate goal in creating a lasting peace in a single lifetime…Knowing this, he chose to entrust his strength, dream and legacy to his two sons, who had each inherited a portion of his power. The eldest son, who had inherited the Sage's eyes along with his powerful chakra and spiritual energy, believed that power was the true key to peace. The younger son however, who had inherited the Sage's body, along with his powerful will and physical energy, believed that love was the true key to peace. It was because of these two conflicting beliefs, that the Sage was force to choose which of his two sons was to become his successor. On his deathbed, the Sage chose his younger son to be his successor. Overcome by bitterness and envy, the elder son attacked the younger, sparking a war between them and their families, which has been going on for over a thousand years."

"So the rivalry between our Clan and the Sasuke's Clan has been going on for over a thousand years. All because two brothers simply couldn't get along" said Naruto, who found the whole reason behind it beyond stupid.

"To put it bluntly yes" said the Nidaime, "But the conflict between our two families goes much deeper than a simple feud between brothers. It is a conflict of ideals, and ideals shape the type of world we live it."

"What do you mean?"

"As descendants of the younger son of the Rikudō Sennin, the Senju Clan inherited the Sage's younger son's belief that love was the key to peace. This ideal is where the ideal of the Will of Fire sprung from, which Konoha was founded upon and what the Shinobi of Konoha are taught to believe in. The Uchiha Clan however inherited the Sage's elder son's enmity over the Sage's decision to name his brother as his successor, fuelling their hatred for us, resulting in a curse of hatred."

"But that is all in the past now isn't it?" Naruto asked. "You were able to make peace with them and founded Konoha together. The Uchiha even fought alongside you during the Great Shinobi World Wars."

"That may be true, but grudges are not so easily let go of, especially those created during war or conflict, since not everyone is able to let go of their hatred" replied the Nidaime with a stern look. "This is especially true for those born into the Uchiha Clan, who are an impressible Clan, and are therefore cursed by it."

"Cursed?!" repeated Naruto not understanding what his ancestor meant.

"Most people believe that we the Senju Clan valued friendship and love over Jutsu, whilst the Uchiha valued Jutsu alone…" explained the Nidaime. "But in actuality, this is false…The Uchiha Clan were the ones who valued love and friendship above all else…So great was their value of these things that they deemed it necessary to seal them off…"

"What do you mean…?" asked Naruto, "I still don't get it?"

"When a member of the Uchiha Clan discovers these feelings…it's as if a torrent is unleashed within and it awakens something even greater than what we Senju know."

"Then why all the fighting?" asked Naruto, "If both our Clan treasured love and friendship, why were we enemies?"

"Ah…But that is where the problem lay my young descendant…Their feelings were in fact too powerful…and if they were left unchecked…they would turn into something dark..."

Still not getting at what the Nidaime was say Naruto was about to comment again, but before he could, the Nidaime continued on.

"…For example if a member of the Uchiha Clan loses someone they love or who is dear to them, such as siblings, parents, lovers or close friends. Then their feelings will be twisted into something dark and turn into an indomitable hatred that will consume them and everyone around them, if not stopped. I have seen it happen countless times within the Uchiha Clan…and without fail; a symptom always follows it…"

"A Symptom?" repeated Naruto, who curiosity was no peaked, "What Symptom?"

"The anguish and despair that precedes the loss of those so close to a member of the Uchiha Clan is so great. That it causes their brains to release a special kind Chakra that affects their optic nerves…This symptom is called the Sharingan…the eye that reflects their feelings…and gives them a considerable boost in power…But as I said before, these dark feelings eventually consume them and they fall into a deprived path, which eventually leads to their own ruin."

As Tobimara continued to talked, Naruto found himself enthralled by his ancestor's every word, since he was learning things he never even heard about. But at the same time his thoughts turned to a certain Uchiha that he knew, where things about him suddenly started to make sense.

"No wonder Sasuke is so dark?" Naruto thought, "When he lost his Clan, his love for them turned into hate for the one who killed them."

As Naruto thought about Sasuke, he could help but pity the young raven haired boy even more. But before he could put anymore thought on Sasuke, his attention turned back to the Nidiame who was speaking again.

"…The further down a member of the Uchiha Clan falls into this path of hatred… the more powerful their eyes become…and the harder it is to reason with them…as was the case with Uchiha Madara."

"That I am afraid is unfortunately true" Hashirmara said with a sad look. "There was a time where Madara and I shared a common dream, which was to bring peace and create a place where future generates could live peacefully. But after the loss of his young brother, Uchiha Izuna, who meant the world to him, Madara slowly began to change, into something dark."

"Wait! Didn't you guys hate one another?" a confused Naruto asked, since from what he had heard, his ancestor and Madara were bitter enemies. But from the way the Shodai was talking about him, it sounded more like they had been friends.

Smiling sadly at his young descendant, the famed Kami no Shinobi shook his head. "I'm afraid that is another misconception Naruto-kun, Madara and I were in fact once close friends."

Stunned by this revelation, Naruto's eyes widened in shock and stared at the former Hokage in disbelief.

"How…When?"

Sighing at this Hashirama stared at the fire for a few moments before answering Naruto's question.

"When I was young during the great Shinobi Clan War, I often left my Clan's compound to explore. During one of my trips, I came across a young Madara, we both new that we came from rival Clans, but we both knew that the only way we could survive the countless fight that was going on, was to become friends…Every few days Madara and I would meet up at the same place, to talk and train with one another. Later on I even shared my dream on creating Konoha with him, a place for people to live and children, like you Naruto-kun, could grow up to become strong shinobi. A place where shinobi would be assigned missions based on their skill set and not simply out of necessity for forces on a battlefield…It was a dream that both Madara and I agreed upon and wanted to achieve together."

"So what happened?" Naruto asked, "Why did you become enemies?"

"Sadly our families found out and we were force to end our friendship, becoming mortal enemies instead, constantly fighting with one another…" Hashirama answered with a sad look before continuing with the story. "As the years passed, both of us eventually became the elders of our respected Clans, where I made several attempts to convince him. But it was only after the death of his brother and one final battle with him, which resulted in my victory, was I able to convince him to make peace…Later we then founded Konoha on the very place where we use to meet when we were children. In fact it was Madara who came up with the name for our village."

"Seriously?!" asked Naruto in surprise, who like most people believed that Hashirmara was the one came up with the name for their village, given how he was the one who created most of the village and the surrounding forest with Mokuton powers.

Smiling at Naruto's surprise, the Shodai nodded, "Yes, although I was the one who came up with the title of Hokage, and the idea to carve the faces of the Hokages onto the mountainside."

"Cool!" said Naruto, who always thought the idea of carving the faces of the Hokages onto the mountain was an awesome idea. "But the things I don't get is that if you guys eventually became friends again, why did Madara leave the village and challenge you?"

Sighing again sadly, Hashirama glance over at his brother, (who maintained a blank expression), before answering his great grandson's question.

"For a time it did seem like we could be friends again, but shortly after the village was built, and the time neared for a leader to be selected. I opted to have Madara become the Shodai Hokage, believing that he would be the best person for the job. But instead, the villagers and the Shinobi selected me as Hokage, causing Madara to leave, even after I told him I would have him named to become the Nidaime Hokage in the event of my death, believing that they would see him in a better light after some time."

"Then why did he leave?"

"Madara believed that the villagers and the Shinobi would never accept him as Hokage, if he were to become it. He also believed that when I died, the village would then slowly turn against his Clan. But when he tried to rally support from his Clan, they turned their backs on him. They had grown tired of fighting with us, and believed he only desired to rekindle the flames of war because of his hatred and inability to let go of the past. Abandoned by his Clan, and disgusted with the village we built together Madara left and sought out the Kyubi, and subdued it using his Sharingan. He later returned to Konoha in order to challenge me, I of course tried to reason with him and begged him to stop the fight and stand down. But he refused and after a lengthy and hard fought battle, which lasted all day and night, I killed him and capture the Kyubi."

When the Shodai finished a single tear fell down his cheek, since he had never wanted to kill Madara and considered him a brother in all but blood. But sadly, he could not get through to his former friend and was force to kill him to protect Konoha.

Shortly after he finished his story, Hashirama suddenly felt a person's hand gently place itself on his shoulder, in a comforting manner.

Turning, the Shodai saw that the person was his wife, who smiled sadly at him, as she knew how much Madara's death affected him, and hoped to at least ease his burden.

Smiling at his wife's attempts to comfort him, Hashirama nodded and panted her hand, telling her that he would be alright.

Seeing this, Naruto could not help but pity at his ancestor, knowing he could only imagine how hard it must have been for the former Hokage to kill his best friend.

But as he was staring sadly at his ancestor, he suddenly realized something that Hashirama had said, "Wait you captured the Kyuubi?!"

"Yes" answered Mito, "Originally I had planned to seal the Kyubi into myself, using one of my Clan's most powerful seals. But before I could perform the sealing, the Kyubi realized what we were doing and unleashed all its power in one massive explosion, destroying itself and the surrounding area, preventing us from capturing him. Later when the Kyubi reformed we planned to try and capture it again, since it was too powerful and dangerous to remain loose. Unfortunately Kumo got to the Kyubi first and tried to capture it for themselves, but failed in the attempt, where the Kyubi escaped. Before we could track it down again, the First Great Shinobi World War began and by the time it had ended, Konoha and the other villages were too weak to try. Especially since with Hashirama-kun gone, there was no-one alive with the power to control or subdue it and so we were force to leave it, where it eventually hid itself away."

"At least until it came and attack Konoha" muttered Naruto.

"Yes, that is something I find curious" commented the Nidaime, who decided to speak again. "I find it rather suspicious that the Kyubi would simply strike out of the blue on its own after remaining hidden for so long."

"Uncle are you saying that someone was controlling it?" Itsuki asked in surprise.

"Yes, although it is not impossible that the Kyubi attacked out of its own free will. I find it more likely that someone was controlling it."

"But who, Madara and Hashirama-sama were the only ones who were ever able to control the tailed beasts" said Ise.

"True, but that's not to say that someone out of the Uchiha Clan could have learned how to control it. Since like my brother's Mokuton Bloodline limit, the Sharingan has the power to control Biju, so it's possible someone had learned how to do it too."

"But why? The Uchiha were already living in Konoha and if it was destroyed they would be wiped out as well. So why would someone from their Clan want to destroy Konoha?" asked Nawaki.

"True, but it is possible that an Uchiha outside the Clan attacked Konoha" answered the former Hokage, and explained further after seeing the confused look on the others faces. "Its possible Madara had an heir, during the time he left Konoha to when he came back to the challenge Hashiramam and that heir had was the one controlling the Kyubi in revenge against Konoha and the Uchiha Clan."

"But it is also possible, that it wasn't an Uchiha, since there are other ways for someone to supress and control a Biju" said Mito.

"I suppose" murmured Tobirama, but didn't look convinced.

"Tobimara, why do you continue to spew such bigotry?" Hashirama asked sadly. "How many times did I tell you not to continue persecuting the Uchiha's!"

"And how many times must I tell to stop being so naïve…?" Tobimara retorted coldly as he glared at his older brother, who this time did not back down. "Besides you can't blame me for skewing things the way I did after what Madara pulled…? It was only a matter of time before they rebelled."

"Why do you despise the Uchiha Clan so much Tobimara?" Mito asked sternly, "…Surely it's not because of your Clans old feud?"

"Hardly…" scoffed the Nidaime, "I simply kept a wary eye on any Clan that threatened the peaceful existence of our village. I even kept a close eye on the Hyuga Clan."

"The Hyuga, but why?" Naruto asked.

"The Hyuga were a powerful Clan in their own right and in some aspect could rival either our Clan or the Uchiha Clan" answered the Nidaime. "They were always eager to improve their status in the village and become more powerful. I was wary of possible infighting within the Clan, caused by their tradition with the Cage Bird Seal, which could spread out into the village."

After hearing this, Naruto just nodded, since he great, granduncle had been right about the Hyuga Clan and their infighting, given the events with Neji and the Branch family."

"The only reason I was so fixated on the Uchiha Clan was because they had a way of always attracting my attention…I was fearful of the possibility of another Madara returning, I knew that Madara's will was secretly shared by quite a few within his Clan, which was why I kept such a close guard on them."

"But not all the Uchiha were like that Uncle" Itsuki remarked. Like his father, Itsuki thought his Uncle was overly harsh on the Uchiha Clan, since he had been friends with some members of the Clan.

"I won't deny that there were those within the Uchiha Clan whose loyalty and commitment to the village was without question. They were ones who had overcome the Uchiha's curse and rejected their Clan for the greater wellbeing of the village. But it did not mean all of them had and there was a chance that some of them could one day turn against us one day. That was why I gave them the task of Military police, which was a duty they could excel at. I wanted to channel their power into something that could benefit the village."

Sighing once again Hashirama spoke, "The matter of the Uchiha Clan and whether or not the Kyubi was being controlled by an Uchiha or someone else, matters little now brother. The past cannot be undone, so therefore there is nothing we can do about it, especially since we are no longer among the living world. Besides we are now moving away to main topic which was why I wanted to speak to Naruto-kun about and why I believe it is not his time yet.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"I'm referring to an ancient prophecy that was told to me once."

"What prophecy?" Naruto asked.

"Long ago when I was not much older than you, I discovered my Mokuton Bloodline limit. At the time I had difficulty controlling it and using it, so I decided to leave our Clan and go on a training trip to learn how to control and use it better. For several months I travelled around training myself in different environments to learn to use my abilities better. My training was hard, and my progress was not coming along as quickly as I had hoped. But then one day when I was travelling across a narrow cliff side. The ground underneath me gave way and I fell into a raging river below, where it washed me away. When I came too, I found myself in a bed, and it then I learned that I had been found unconscious and half drowned."

"Who saved you?" Naruto asked.

"That I cannot say, for I was sworn to secrecy, and never to reveal it to anyone" answered the Shodai with a serious look, which told Naruto he would say no more.

After about a minute or so, Hashirama then continued with his story "Later when I recovered and explained my ability and why I ended in the river, they got rather excited and then brought me to their leader. Who then told me a prophecy that was that was foretold by one of their great elders. At first they thought I was the person who had been foretold in their prophecy. But shortly afterwards they discover I was not the one they had been waiting for, but they did believe I had a part to play. So they agreed to help me, and after several years of intensive training, I learned how to use my abilities to their full extent. Were if it not for them, I would not be the Shinobi I became."

"So, if I were to go there, do you think they would help me the way they did you?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, in fact I have no doubt they will help, since I believe you are the one they are waiting for" answered the Shodai.

"Me? But what makes you think I the one in the prophecy, when it wasn't you?" Naruto asked, "What did the prophecy say?"

"I'm afraid I cannot say that either, since it is something you must hear from them?" replied the Shodai with a smirk.

"Jeeze is there anything you can tell me?" Naruto asked annoyance since he was little irritated with his forefather, who just grinned back at him and messed up his hair in a playful manner.

"There are just some things that you need to learn for yourself Naruto-kun, so that you can learn from them and become stronger. But I can promise you they will give you the guidance you need."

"But how can you be so certain I am that person?"

"Because I have faith in you Naruto-kun" the Shodai replied with an encouraging smile. "When you arrived inside the barrier, you showed many qualities that proved to me you we that person and I do not mean Mokuton or your other Shinobi skills."

Still not fully understanding his ancestor, Naruto was about to ask him something, but before he could say anything the Shodai spoke again.

"Inside the barrier you showed courage and fortitude when you came to help your mother and the others. Even though you knew you stood little chance against any of us, you still continued to fight on. You also showed compassion and caring when you helped heal Sarutobi's and your mother's wounds. But more importantly you showed love and sacrifice when you pushed Tsunade out of the path of Orochimaru's sword, knowing full well you would be hit, qualities of a leader. It was because of that we were able to free ourselves from the bounds of the Edo Tensei. You showed us today that the Will of Fire has been successfully passed down onto your generation and still burns strongly. You also showed us that you had inherited our will and that you carry the ideals of our Clan. That is why I believe you are the one spoken in the prophecy and that you will soon return to the living world, for you still have things to do."

After hearing this, Naruto remained silent and thought about everything his ancestor said, but before he could respond to his great grandfather, he heard the Nidaime Hokage talking to him, and turned to him.

"Naruto, if my brother is right and you do indeed return to the living world, I suggest that you keep a close eye on that Uchiha boy named Sasuke, who you mentioned."

"Tobimara, don't start that again!" Hashirmara cried angrily.

"Silence brother!" rounded the younger of the Senju brothers in an angry and commanding voice, showing exactly why he had been chosen as the Nidaime Hokage of Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf).

"Naruto needs to be wary of the boy, especially if the loss of his Clan has affected him in the way I believe it did… where it would be only a matter of time before he turns dark…And Naruto has seen it, haven't you?" asked the former Hokage, who had seen how Naruto reacted when he told him of the curse of the Uchiha Clan.

When the Nidaime turned to him, Naruto couldn't help but whether slightly under his intense stare of the former Hokage and nodded.

"Yea, I've seen Sasuke's dark side" replied Naruto, remembering what Sasuke was like when he was under the influence of Orochimaru's curse seal. "…And yea he's a bit of a jerk at times, but that doesn't mean that he will turn dark, like Madara."

In response to Naruto's answer, the Nidaime just shook his head, since in many ways Naruto reminded Tobimara of his brother Hashirmara. Not only were both of them medics, who possessed Mokuton and were strong, talented Shinobi. But they were both idealist, who were too kind and naive when it came to certain people, especially Uchiha.

"That may be true Naruto, but as I said before, I have seen it happen too many times with the Uchiha, and there is a strong chance that he will go down the same path as Madara and turn against the village. If that does happen, it is likely that the two of you will have to fight."

"Not necessarily, if Naruto was to befriend him, get to know the boy, he could perhaps persuade him from go down that path" spoke Hashirmara, hoping for another possible alterative

"Like you did with Madara?" Tobimara replied rather harshly, which caused his brother to flinch.

"Tobimara!" rounded Mito angrily, believing that was uncalled for.

"I'm simply stating the truth" the Nidaime replied coldly, "Naruto can try to deter the boy if he wants, but I fear he would only be wasting his time."

After saying this, Tobimara turned to his great, grandnephew, who did not know how to respond.

"Naruto you must understand, to be a true Shinobi of Konoha and to be a good Hokage one day, you must be willing to do things you don't want to...and do what is best for Konoha. Being Hokage is not an easy thing...As Hokage you are responsible for the safety of Konoha and everyone who lives in it...therefore you must think of the village first and yourself second."

When the Nidaime finished, Naruto numbly nodded his head, and although he understood what the Nidaime was trying to tell him. He still, he felt that what his ancestor was suggesting was rather cold, and wanted to at least try and help Sasuke.

Seeing that Naruto was having doubs, the Shodai spoke, "Regardless of what my brother says Naruto, do not give up on the boy. Even if he is right, if you do not at least try, you will regret it later."

Nodding to his great grandfathers words, Naruto was about to respond, but before he could say anything; he noticed that his body was glowing.

"What's happening to me?"

"Ah it seems your time here is finally up…" said the Shodai with a pleased look at being proven right. "You're returning to the living world."

"But wait, there are still things I need to ask you" said Naruto.

"I'm afraid there is no more time Naruto, go to our family library you will find scrolls that may be of use to you there. But if you truly wish to master you Mokuton powers and unlock it true potential, you must find the Valley of the Four Winds, there you will find the help you'll need."

"But how will I find it?" Naruto ask, since he had no clue where the valley was.

"Look for a book on Bonsai care, there you will find what you'll need to find the Valley" answered Hashirama.

"But what if I fail?" Naruto ask, since you could not help but doubt himself a little and did not want to let his family down."

"You will not fail Naruto-kun."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because we believe in you" Hashirama replied with reassuring smile. "You're the last of our Clan Naruto-kun, and have not only inherited our gifts, but also embody or ideals. You're the Hope of our Clan."

"The Hope of the Senju Clan" said the Itsuki with a kind smile.

Encouraged his ancestor's words, Naruto smiled and nodded and told them he would not let them down.

"Take care Naruto-kun, live a long life and be happy" said Mito as she smiled kindly at her great grandson.

"Follow your heart Naruto, it will not let you down" said Ise who was also smiling at him.

"Say hey to Tsunade-nee for me" cried Nawai.

"Yes and please send her our love as well" added Itsuki as he wrapped his arm around his wife.

"I will" Naruto replied.

"Oh and Naruto, make sure you have plenty of fun" said Hashirama with a knowing smile. But before Naruto could even ask what his great grandfather meant, he disappeared in a flash of white light.

"Hey Jijin, what did you mean when you said that? Nawaki asked, as he gave his grandfather a confused look.

"Oh, just a little something I set up when I was still Hokage" replied the former Hokage with another knowing smirk.

"Hashirama, you don't mean…?" groaned Tobimara, realizing what his brother was talking about and raised his right hand to his face in disbelief.

Before any of the others could even ask what the younger Senju brother meant, Sakumo suddenly reappeared out of the dark.

"It seems Naruto-kun left."

"Yes, he has returned, to the living world" answered Hashirama.

"Good" said the silver haired man, since he was glad Naruto had a second chance to live his life.

"Thank you again for allowing us to use your camp to talk to him and I apologise again for having you to leave it" said Hashirama.

Nodding to this, the former Konoha Shinobi assured the former Hokage that it was no trouble. But before he could say any more he suddenly felt a massive Killing Intent coming from the Hokage's wife. Who was now staring at her husband with the same sickly sweet smile she had earlier.

"Hashirama-kun please tell me you did not do what I think you did?" Mito asked, who like Tobimara, had just realised what her husband was on about.

"Eh…em…heheheh…well you see…em" said the now nervous Shodai Hokage, who was starting to sweat a little from his wife's stare.

"Can I get a little help here guys?" the late Hokage asked as he looked to his brother and the others. But found that they had suddenly disappeared, leaving him alone with a rather annoyed Mito.

"Traitors…what ever happen to family sticking together?" the founder of Konoha thought, before he came face to face with a still smiling Mito. Who now had the same angry crimson red aura she had before, and was cracking her knuckles in a similar manner to her granddaughter.

At that moment the former Kami no Shinobi could have sworn he saw the image of a raging beast hover over his wife.

"I think it's about time we had that little chat I mentioned earlier, Hashirama-kun?" said Mito where her smile grew even more, making her appearance seem demonic to the former Hokage. Who was now cowering before the wrath of his furious wife, as he towered over him.

Moments later the Shodai Hokage's terrified screams could be heard throughout the void.

-In the Stadium-

-Enter Naruto OST Despair-

Above the Stadium on the now ruined rooftop, a large group of Shinobi, (mainly made up of Konoha Shinobi), were gathered over the body of one Senju Naruto.

Kneeling next to his still body was a weeping Tsunade, who once again broke into tears after seeing her son's body.

"My beautiful, beautiful baby boy" said a crying Tsunade as she rubbed her hand against Naruto's cheek in a tenderly manner. "You were too good…too pure for this cruel world."

Kneeling down next to his old team-mate, Jiraiya did his best to console the grieving mother, while at the same time fighting back his own tears. Knowing if he let them fall, he would break down himself.

Standing next to their old student, Ma and Pa watched sadly as Jiraiya did his best to comfort the heartbroken Tsunade. But despite Jiraiya's efforts, they knew that no amount of comfort would ever fill the hole that was now in the Senju mother's heart.

Looking at Naruto's still form, Pa could only sigh sadly and thought "In peace children bury their parents. But in war, parents bury their children."

"Why…? Why must the young always pay for the mistakes of their elders" thought the Sandaime angrily as he blamed himself for what happened to his surrogate grandson. "If I had not been such a blind sentimental old fool back then, none of this would have happened…! It should have been me who had died here, not Naruto."

"Naruto-dono" said the Katsuya clone who had remained on the Sandaime's shoulder while her original body returned home.

"I' am sorry Sarutobi" said Enma, who had returned to his originally form and stood next to his old friend. "He would have made a fine Hokage one day, worthy of his father and forefathers."

Standing near Tsunade and the others stood Shizune, who had also broken into tears after seeing her godson/surrogate little brother's body.

Seeing this Yamato went over her and placed a hand on her shoulder, where she then inexpertly turned and pushed herself onto the Wood user chest, and continued to cry.

Surprised and unsure of what to do, Yamato hesitantly brought his arm and gently patted her back, trying his best to comfort the grieving woman, who cried Naruto's name over and over, asking why?

"Naruto!" thought Kushina with a pained look, before lowering her head in shame and brought her hand over her chest, as she felt and sharp pain go through her heart at the loss of her first and only student.

This was the same kind of pain she had felt when she return to Konoha from a mission and learned that the Kyubi had attacked, and that the Yondaime Hokage had died stopping it.

It was the pain of regret and sorrow, since for a long time Kushina had blamed herself for what happened during the Kyubi attack. Believing if she had been in Konoha when the Kyubi attacked, she could have stopped it using her special ability and her Fuinjutsu (Sealing techniques) and thereby prevent Minato from sacrificing himself.

But once again she had failed; she had failed in protecting her student, the son of her former love. A boy who had so much potential, and had so much to live for, had died tragically before his time, just like his father.

At the same time, a mournful Kakashi looked down at Naruto with sad eyes. Like Kushina, seeing Naruto like this reminded him of the death of his sensei the Yondaime Hokage. It also reminded him of the pain he felt when he learned of the Yondaime's death.

"Just like the Yondaime Hokage-sama" Kakashi thought sadly, when he looked down at Naruto's body and saw a smile on his face. Seeing this, the fame Konoha-nin could not help but blame himself for not stopping Naruto. "I'm sorry Sensei; I failed to protect your son…your legacy."

Standing near Kakashi were Asuma, Kurenai, Anko, Gai and the three ANBU, who like the copy-nin, lowered their heads sadly at the young life that had ended far too soon.

Standing among the Konoha Shinobi, the Raikage, the Mizukage and their guards, stood silently as they watched Tsunade and the others mourn Naruto's death.

Watching Tsunade cry over her son, the Godaime Mizukage Mei could not help but be upset by what happened. Although she barely knew Naruto she could not help it, given how he had protected her from a Suna Shinobi's attack during the battle.

Even the hardened Yondaime Raikage A was somewhat saddened by the scene, although this removed a dangerous and potential threat to his village. The Raikage could not help but be slightly moved when he heard how the boy sacrificed himself to save his mother's life. Since if there was one thing A could respect and admire, it was courage and the willing to sacrificing yourself to save others.

Standing next to their respected leaders, Zabuza and Killer Bee also showed signs sorrow at the loss of Naruto, as both men had grown to like and respect the young blonde.

Both men also wondered how each of them would break the news of Naruto's death to their teams.

Zabuza of course knew Haku would take the news the worst, given how she had started to develop feeling for the young Senju.

On his team, Killer Bee knew that Yugito and Omoi would take the loss of Naruto the hardest. Since Omoi and Naruto got on quite well with one another, while Yugito and Naruto had developed a strong rivalry and friendship. Samui, he was unsure of since the blonde girl often kept things bottled up. He was also unsure of Karui, even though she and Naruto often fought; he knew she at least respected him.

-End Naruto OST Despair-

As the group continued to mourn, slowly a certain spikey haired blonde started to wake when he heard the sounds of crying.

As he gradually opened his eyes, Naruto saw his mother kneeling next to him on his right, with both her hands covering her face as she cried, while Jiraiya held her close to him and had his eyes closed.

He could also see the two elder toads standing next to Jiraiya with their heads lowered.

To his left Naruto saw the Sandaime with his eyes close and a pained expression on his face, while his summon Enma did his best to console him.

As Naruto looked around he saw than no-one had yet notice he was awake, since they either hand the head down and their eyes closed or where looking away.

Knowing that he needed to say something to be notice, Naruto turned to his mother and called out to her in a low croaking voice, as his throat was sore and dry.

Seeing that no-one had heard him, Naruto tried again, but a little louder this time.

But once again no-one heard him over Tsunade's crying, forcing him to cry out even louder and call her by something he would normal never call his mother.

"Hey…Baa-chan!"

After hearing this, Tsunade suddenly lowered her hands from her face and looked down at Naruto in disbelief, not believing who's voice she had heard.

Even Jiraiya turned in shock when he heard Naruto call out Tsunade.

"Hey, Kaa-chan, why are you all crying, you think I was dead or something?" said Naruto with a goofy looking grin.

"N-N-Naru-chan?" said a wide Tsunade, whose eyes were still red from crying so much.

"Hey!" greeted Naruto with a goofy grin.

"NARU-CHAN!" cried Tsunade before she grabbed hold of her son and pulled him to her and started to hug him as if her life depended on it and then started kissing him all over his face.

After getting over his shock that godson was still alive, Jiraiya immediately yelled "Kid!" and joined Tsunade in hugging Naruto before he started messing up the blonde's hair, laughing and crying at the same time.

"He's alive! He's alive!" cried Tsunade, as tears once again fell from her eyes as she continued to hug her son. But this time her tears were of joy.

At the same time a teary-eyed Shizine moved over and cried "Naruto!" before she enveloped the blonde boy in a strong hug, squashing him between his mother and her, where both women started kissing him.

"But your wound how?" said Tsunade, since Naruto had no plus and had a bleeding wound through the heart. But now when she rubbed away the blood on the wound on his chest and when Shizune looked on the one on his back, (where the sword went through), they were gone, completely healed.

"The Kyubi?" Jiraiya muttered quietly, since it was the only thing that made sense to him.

"Guess Hashirama-jiisan was right, guess it wasn't my time" said Naruto with a weak smile.

"What do you mean Naru-chan?"

"I met him, Hashirama-jiisan, Tobirama-ooojiisan and the others."

Not really understanding what her son was talking about, Tsunade simply smiled and kissed her son on the forehead and she hugged him and told him they would talk about it again.

"Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you…" Tsunade said over and over in her head as she looked up to the sky and smiled as she had never been so thankful in her entire life. She didn't care if it was the Kyubi, her grandfather or Kami himself who gave her back her son, it didn't matter, the only thing that did was that she had her son again.

At this point a beaming Sandaime moved around the two women so that he would be in front of Naruto and smiled down at the blonde.

"Hey, jiji, you okay?" asked Naruto when he saw his surrogate grandfather, who had two small tears falling down his wrinkled face.

"Naruto my boy I have never been better in my life, nor have I ever been so happy to see someone" replied the old man. Before he kneeled down and hugged the blonde boy and then moved back to look at him and smiled.

"Naruto, you are by far the most unpredictable young Shinobi I have ever come across in my entire life."

"Naruto-dono you do not know how happy it makes me to see you alive and well" said the small Katsuya clone on Sarutobi's shoulder.

"But how? The boy was dead!" thought Enma as she tried to make sense of it all, before deciding to leave it be for now and let Sarutobi and the other enjoy the moment.

"Could tha Kyubi be involved?" Pa asked his wife quietly.

"I sus'pose, but does it really matter?" Ma asked with a smile.

"I guess not" the old Toad sage replied with a smirk.

"That idiot, making us worry like that" thought Kushina as she wiped away the tears from her eyes. "...Just for that I make him run training drills until his legs fall off…once he back on his feet though."

Seeing Kushina whipping away her tears, Yamato moved over to his former captain and placed his arm on her shoulder and smiled. "Shinobi's are not permitted to cry Kushina-senpai."

"Shut it, besides if you want to quote regulations perhaps you remind the Hokage-sama and the others?" replied the red head as she indicated to the Sandaime and the others.

"I suppose we can ignore it this time" said the man with another smile before he looked over at his student who was being held tightly by his mother.

"You never cease to surprise me Naruto" Kakashi thought with a smile, as he looked down at this student, (part-time at least), and then let out a sigh of relief.

Standing next to Kakashi, Asuma, Anko, Kureani, the ANBU and other Konoha Shinobi who had gathered were all now smiling at the reunited family.

Gai of course was the most vocal in his joy where shouted about how Naruto flames of youth were so strong that not even death could extinguish them.

"That kid…" muttered Zabuza with a small smirk behind his mask and shook his head, at how the blond literally came back from the dead.

"I thought his lights were out, but yo he's back, it's out of sight!" rhymed Bee is surprise before smiling.

"He certainly is an interesting Shinobi" spoke the Mizukage as she turned to the Raikage with amused smile, as she was glad to see that Naruto was alive.

Grunting in acknowledgement, the Raikage kept a blank expression, while he stared down at Naruto, where he could not help but wonder what sort of technique Naruto used to survive a stab to the heart.

After a while Tsunade final noticed how pale Naruto was and realized she needed to get him back to hospital to be treated for the loss of blood and any other injuries he may still.

With no time to waste, the female Sannin took off, followed closely by Shizune and Jiraiya, while the Sandaime gave out others to the other Konoha-nins.

Once they had been given their order the Sandaime turned to the Raikage and the Mizukage and asked them to come with him to his office to speak.

After only one week after the invasion, the village of the hidden leaf was already on its way to recovery.

Construction had already begun and the village of the Shinobi of the leaf was busy with activity, with everyone, civilian and Shinobi alike, helping one another to rebuild their homes.

The busiest part of the village was of course Konoha's hospital, which was filled with injured Shinobi.

After the invasion Konoha's medics worked tirelessly to treat all the wounded and save as many lives as possible.

Among the injured Shinobi was one Senju Naruto, who was currently still recovering from the invasion. Although thanks to the Kyuubi healing him, he had very few injuries left, he was left still very weak from the loss of blood and needed a transfusion. He also had to recover from the effects of the food pills, which left his body in a sorry state, where he could barely move a finger.

Thankfully though, that was the worst of it, as the young Senju proved to be quite resilient and was slowly on the mend thanks to the efforts of his mother.

After bringing Naruto to the hospital and treating him, Tsunade immediately took charge of the hospital and started organizing the medics and hospital staff in how they should treat the injured. Although every half hour the female Senju would go to her son's room to check on his vitals and make sure he was safe.

Later on she even ordered a squad of ANBU to guard Naruto's room, telling them that no-one was to be allowed in with the exception of the Hokage, Jiraiya, Shizune or herself. She even went on to threaten said ANBU with castration and disembowelment if so much as a hair on her son's head was harmed.

Needless to say, Naruto's room became one of the most secured rooms in all of Konoha.

A few days after they had driven the Oto and Suna forces out, word had reach Konoha that the Yondaime Kazekage was dead.

According to the reports Konoha had received, when the Kazekage did not return from Konoha. Suna sent out teams to search for their leader, where they soon found his body, along with the bodies of his bodyguard.

After examining the state of their bodies, it was learned that the Kazekage and his men had been dead for almost two months.

This meant that the Kazkeage had been dead before the Chunin exam had begun and that it had been a disguised Orochimaru who had been issuing orders.

With their military forces weakened, their jinchūriki captured and their leader dead along with their already weak economy. Suna quickly sued for peace, once they had realized they had been tricked and offered an official surrender to Konoha in the hope of avoiding a war they would surely lose.

Wanting to avoid any further bloodshed, the Sandaime accepted the Hidden Sand's surrender, resulting in a truce between the two villages. He was also already in the process of negotiation with the village, with the chance of re-establishing an alliance with their former ally.

This decision was of course met with heavy criticism from many people in the village and on the council, where many people felt that they should make Suna pay for their unprovoked attack. The most vocal of these was of course Danzo, who stated that despite being tricked, Suna still betrayed them willingly, hence could not be trusted.

After much talk, the Sandaime was eventually able to cool most people's anger over Suna betrayal, stating that this was not the time for revenge instead it was a time to rebuild and reorganise. He then went on to say that attacking Suna would not bring back those who had lost their lives in the attack and would only result in more being lost.

Realizing that the Sandaime was right, most people calmed down, although many were still left bitter over what happened, especially those who had lost people they had cared about.

At the same time the Hokage was in the middle of talks with the Raikage and the Mizukage.

After personally thanking both leaders for their assistance in repelling the invading force, the Hokage asked both Kages to stay in the village. Hoping to open better dialects with the two villages and avoid another incident like the invasion.

Both Kages accepted the Hokage's offer, although the Raikage mainly only accepted because two of his Genin Kauri and Samui had received several serious injuries, when they were defending the Lightning Daimyo, and needed time to recover before they could move.

During the talks the Raikage personally apologised for two of his Shinobi for trying to kidnap Hinata during the attack, who were stopped by the efforts of Neji and his team.

The Raikage assured the Hokage that he would personally see to it that both men were severely punished, not only for acting without orders, or even approval. But also for abandoning their post, since they had been assigned to guard the Lightning Daimyo.

After the Raikage apologised for his Shinobi's action, the Mizukage questioned the Sandaime over how Naruto had survived his wound, which was clearly fatal.

Knowing he couldn't reveal the truth about how Naruto really survived. The Sandaime told the two Kages a half lie by telling them about Tsunade's Sōzō Saisei, explaining what it did, and how she had placed the Yin seal on him when he was young.

Naturally after hearing about the Jutsu, the two Kages were shocked at the news that Tsunade created such an amazing technique. Proving once again why she was hailed as the greatest medic in the world.

When the Raikage asked why Tsunade had not done this sooner. The Sandaime explained that given Tsunade's emotional state over seeing her son stabbed, she was unable to think calmly or rationally.

Thankfully the two Kages had accepted the story without question and then moved on to other issues, such as Orochimaru and his village, where after much discussion, the three Shinobi agreed to work together and share information on dealing with the former Sannin and his village.

Currently walking through a dark tunnel, Naruto slowly made his way over to the large cage that held the Kyubi.

After making his way over to the cage door, Naruto stopped once he was only a feet away from it.

Shortly after, he saw the Kyubi's eyes open up, revealing its glowing red eyes.

"So you've returned" grunted the Kyubi when he saw Naruto.

"Huh, nice to see you too fur ball" muttered Naruto as he stared at giant fox who frowned at the name.

"Why have you come here?"

"I came here to say thanks"

"Thanks?" said the Kyubi with a small measure of surprise, where his eyes widen ever so slightly.

"Yea, from what my mom and the others told me, you forced your Chakra into my body and used it to heal my injuries and then restart my heart."

"Tsk, I only did it because if you died I would as well, and I am still unsure if I can reform myself after you die. Given how I lost half my power thanks to your wrenched father the Yondaime Hokage."

"Yea, I figured as much, but I thought I would at least say it" said Naruto.

"I do not want your thanks, but if you're as grateful as you say, then pull this seal off and release me from this cage!"

"Not a chance!" said Naruto where he narrowed his eyes. "I may be grateful for you saving me, but that doesn't mean I'm foolish enough to do that!"

"Hmph, then what good is your gratitude" grunted the Kyubi.

"You really are overgrown jerk you know that?" said Naruto who got enough more annoyed when he saw the fox just scoff at his remark, not caring what Naruto thought of him.

Having enough of the fox's attitude, Naruto turned around and began to walk away from cage, but just after walking a few feet away, he stopped and looked back at the fox.

"You know something Kyubi, whether we like it or not, we're stuck with one another, so I suggest you learn to deflate that overgrown ego of yours a bit. Maybe then the two of us can come to an understanding. "

Scoffing at the idea, the Kyubi just closed his eyes and told Naruto to leave him be.

Having said his piece, Naruto turned back around and made his way back to the waking world.

After Naruto left, the Kyubi opened one of his eyes slightly and glanced where Naruto had just been a moment ago.

"Tsk, gratitude from a human, how revolting" scoffed the fox before closing his eye again and going back to sleep.

-Outside the Seal-

After finishing talking to the Kyubi, Naruto slowly opened his eyes.

His body still ached from the after effects of taking three food piles in a row, where he still had trouble moving. Even now, he struggled to lift himself up on the bed, where he felt as if someone was on top of him…at least until he learned that "THERE WAS" someone of top of him.

When the blonde boy opened his eyes, he saw one Hattori Mei leaning down and preparing to kiss him.

"Mei-chan!" cried a startled Naruto, when he saw the Ame Kunoichi on top of him.

After hearing Naruto speak, the young Kunochi stopped and opened her eyes.

"Oh good you're a wake, it wouldn't be any fun if you were asleep" said the young Kunoichi with predatory smile, which make the young blonde feel very nervous.

"W-Wh-What are doing here?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"Can't a girl visit her injured fiancé when he is in the hospital" said Mai where she sat back up, so that she was sitting on his lower end and flipped her ponytail up with her hand.

"Yes...No…I mean if Kaa-chan finds out, she will…" said Naruto before Mai placed her right index finger on his lips, stopping him from talking.

"Don't worry about that old hag; I've been monitoring her movements for the past two days. She comes here every half hour and just made her schedule visit five minutes ago…That means you and I have the next twenty-five minutes all to ourselves… giving us just enough time…" said Mai as she unbuttoned the top button of his hospital pyjama's.

"E-En-Enough time f-for what…?" Naruto asked nervously although he already had a fair idea what the girl was getting at. When she unbuttoned his second shirt button and saw a hunger look and smile on her face.

"H-How did you get by the ANBU that Kaa-chan stationed around my room?" Naruto asked quickly, hoping to distract the young girl with something else.

Sadly though, the question did little to distract her where she unbuttoned the third button, exposing Naruto's chest slightly.

"Oh Naruto-kun, now that would be telling…and a girl needs to keep a few secrets to herself…" said Mai in a playful tone and smirk, before she leaded down next to Naruto's right ear, where he could feel her hot breath against his neck, and whispered. "But I'll tell you if you make it worth my while."

After saying this, the young girl giggled a little and then started to nibble on his ear, causing the blonde boy to turn cheery red.

"Damnit, I can't move! I'm still too weak!" a panicking Naruto thought, as he tried to think of something, but found it hard to focus, as Mai nibbled on his ear.

After a minute though, Mai stopped nibbling on the blonde boy's ear and lifted herself back up, where she then placed her right index finger on Naruto's exposed chest and began to move it around.

"You know Naruto-kun, I'm rather angry at you, given how you nearly got yourself killed…if you had died, I would have been very upset with you. But given how you didn't I willing to let it go…this time…but you are going to have to make it up to me."

"H-H-How?"

"Oh I think I can think of something…" Mai said with a hungry grin. "But before that, is it true what the rumours say…about you summoning the leaders of the Slug and Toad summons to defeat Sabbaku no Gaara (Gaara of the Sand Waterfall) in his release form?"

"Y-Yea, why?"

"Oh just curious" replied Mai, who seemed pleased to know that the story was true, before she unfurled her ponytail, allowing her hair to fall down to her lower back.

"The Senju Blood, really does flow inside you Naruto-kun" said Mai as closed in her legs around Naruto's hips and placed both her hands on his expose chest. "Please share those wonderful genes with me."

"G-G-Genes?" asked a now worried Naruto, who could see the hunger gleam in Mai's eye grow.

"If our two bloodlines were to come together, we can give birth to an unstoppable family of Shinobi."

"H-H-Hold on Mai-chan, didn't you say you wanted to go on a date with me first?" the nervous Naruto said quickly hoping to stall the girl.

"True, but after hearing about everything you did in the invasion, I decided to skip to the main course. Since I find recklessness a real turn on."

"T-T-Turn on?" a now crimson red Naruto thought, not believing what he was hearing, where sudden inappropriate images began to appear inside his head.

"Yes, and we need to strike while the iron is hot, so let's start now, shall we…?" said Mai. Who then slowly leaned down to kiss Naruto, giving the blonde a more than generous view of her chest at the same time.

"C-Co-Come on Mai-chan, you can stop joking now" said Naruto, as he started to sweat and think, "I'm not ready yet!"

"Oh I'm very serious Naruto-kun" said Mai as she leaned closer. "So please be gentle with me…it's my first time."

"I'm the one who should be saying that!" screamed Naruto inside his head.

But just as Mai and Naruto's lips were a hair's breadth apart. The door to Naruto's room suddenly opened, where a powerful Killing Intent coming from the doorway flooded the room, causing many of the plants in the room to whither and die from the sheer intensity of it.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO MY SON?!" roared a familiar female voice.

Upon hearing the voice, the two teens immediately turned to the direction of the voice and saw a furious Tsunade standing in the doorway with flames of unholy rage burning around her form, giving her a demonic looking appearance.

"Kaa-chan!"

"Tsk, damn that old bag" muttered Mai and she pulled up from Naruto. "And I was so close?"

As Tsunade moved closer to them, the two teens notice that the Slug Princess was not alone.

Accompanying her was Jiraiya, the Hokage, the Raikage, the Mizukage and their guards Darui and Ao.

Seeing the two young teens is such suggestible manner (Mai with her hair down while she straddled Naruto, whose shirt was now opened), the Sandaime quickly turned away with a small blush on his old face.

Jiraiya on the other hand, just grinned at his godson and gave him two thumbs up, showing his approval, after which he took out his book and pen and started scribing on his notepad, as the scene had just given him a new idea for a new book.

"Oh my…how daring" commented the now giggling Mizukage upon she saw the two, while the Raikage, Ao and Darui just stared at the two with their eyebrows raised.

"I asked you a question…" Tsunade said slowly as she glared at the granddaughter of Hanzo and started to crack her knuckles in a very dangerous manner. "What do you think you are doing to my son?"

Unafraid of the female Sannin, Mai just smirked, "Hmph, you're a medic aren't you…Haven't you heard of C…P…R?" saying the letters in a slow and very sultry manner, all the while smirking cheekily at the older woman.

"Ah! So that is what the young people of today are calling it?" mused the Sandaime while still fighting back a blush.

"CPR? Oh man, I'm definitely using that line in my new book" Jiraiya thought as he frantically scribbled down what Mia had said. "This girl is gold!"

Looking down at his notes Jiraiya began to write "…The attractive you nurse, lifted her short skimpy skirt over her patient, straddling the young spiky haired blonde man between her long lushes legs. She then unfurled her long hair from hair bun, allowing it to fall all the way down to her perfectly shaped rear. She then unbuttoned the top three buttons from her uniform top, exposing her amble bosom slightly, allowing her patient to glimpse at her heavenly fruit. Once she was ready she then ripped opened her patient's shirt, exposing his naked chest, where she then leaned down and began to treat his wounds with her healing tongue. After treating his wounds the young nurse then moved up and began to administer CPR…"

"Oh yes, this is brilliant…! It will be my greatest book yet, I'll call it Icha Icha Togi (Make-Out Nurse)" Jiraiya thought as he giggled quietly to himself. "I really need to hang out with the kid more, he's research GOLD!"

It was then though, that the Toad Sage noticed that the raging flames around Tsunade had gotten even bigger, after hearing what Mai had said, and were now licking away at the ceiling.

Feeling the heat of the flames, Jiraiya and the others slowly moved back from the Slug Princess, knowing what was to come next.

"I've got to admit that girl as some pair on her to say that to Tsunade" Jiraiya thought as he glanced at Mai. Who remarkably showed no sign of fear of the elder woman's growing anger. "And I don't just mean the pair on her chest."

"CPR…heh, heh, heh" Tsunade chuckled darkly, which started to make Jiraiya and the others even more nervous before a murderous gleam appeared in her eyes and she lunged forward at granddaughter of Hanzo like a wild beast yelling "I'LL KILL YOU! YOU LITTLE WENCH!"

Wasting no time Mai quickly flipped into the air, avoiding the Senju Matriarch lung and landed on the other side of Naruto bed, putting it between her and the furious Tsunade, who looked ready to tear the young girl apart.

"It seems I've worn out my welcome here Naruto-kun and will have to return to my village. But we'll see each other very soon…and we'll finish where we started" said Mai before she gave Naruto a seductive smirk and wink and disappeared in puff of smoke.

A split second later, a Kunai flew through the space that Mai's head had just been occupying a moment ago, and went right through the widow that was behind her.

"Damnit, I missed" Tsunade growled angrily before yelling "I SWEAR ONE OF THESE DAY'S, I'LL KILL THAT LITTLE HARLOT!"

"Calm yourself please Tsunade" spoke the Sandaime as he tried to calm his former student down.

"How the hell am I supposed to stay calm after seeing that little harpy tried and take advantage of my son? And how the hell did she even get in here?" rounded the Slug Princess.

"I think that's how" answered Sarutobi pointing to an open air duct on the ceiling in the corner of the room.

"Damn little bitch is craftier than I thought" grumbled Tsunade inside her head. "WHERE THE HELL ARE THOSE ANBU? I'LL HAVE THEIR HIDES!"

"Eh I think they skipped right after we realized that Hattori girl got by them" answered Jiraiya, who looked back out the doorway and saw that the ANBU were gone. He of course couldn't blame them for running, given what Tsunade swore she do to them if they let anyone by them.

Growling in anger, Tsunade made a mental note to hunt down the masked Shinobi and kick their asses.

After a few minutes Tsunade eventually began to calm down, although continued to silently mutter about harpies trying to steal her baby boy from her.

"It seems you're well on the mend Naurto-san" said the amused Mizukage. Who was still smiling over what they had interrupted.

"Eh yea," replied a blushing Naruto as quickly as he buttoned up his top.

"Oh, I got to get the kid to give me the details later" Jiraiya thought with a perverted grin, as he was so proud of his godson right now.

Wanting to change the subject, Naruto quickly asked the Sandaime why they were all here.

Welcoming the change of subject, the Sandaime quickly explained that tomorrow both the Mizukage and the Raikage would be leaving Konoha and returning to their respected village with their teams. But before leaving the Mizukage had stated a desire to see how he was doing.

"I'm pleased that you are doing well Naruto-san" said the Mizukage, "Haku-chan was quite worried after learning you had been injured in the battle."

"Are Haku-chan and the others okay?" Naruto asked.

"They're fine; they of course wanted to accompany us when they learned we were going to visit you. But Tsunade denied them, stating that she did not want to overwhelm you with so many visitors at once. But she did agree to allow them to visit later before we leave tomorrow.

Nodding in understanding Naruto continued to talk to the female Kage, during the conversation Naruto turned to the Raikage and asked if Yugito and the others were okay. The bulky Kage answered that they were all fine and recovering from injuries and had even requested to visit him before they left.

Thankfully the Raikage remained ignorant over the fact, that it was his brother and his team who drew them into the battle. Instead he still believed that Orochimaru had been attempting to destroy Konoha and weaken both Kumo and Kiri with one move. This then resulted in the three villages agreeing to work together in hunting Orochimaru down.

The Sandaime and the others had of course realized the truth themselves when they learned of the Raikage's reason for entering the battle on their side. Since they knew Orochimaru had only planned to destroy Konoha.

Knowing that if they revealed the truth it would only get Killer Bee and his team in trouble, the Sandaime and his former students decided to remain silent. Since this way they would have several allies in their fight against Orochimaru, putting even more pressure on the former Sannin and his organisation.

Naturally when the Raikage heard his brother request on letting his team visit Naruto, he became suspicious. But his adopted brother quickly explained that his team, particularly Yugito had developed a friendly rivalry with the Senju heir and simply wanted to pay their respect.

After hearing this, A agreed to the visit, since he understood that even Shinobi who were from rival villages could develop a healthy respect and rivalry with one another. He himself had one with Konoha's Yellow Flash Namikaze Minato, where despite being enemies, he greatly admired and respected the former Hokage for his speed and fighting skill.

Soon after the two Kages decided to leave, but before walking away, the Mizukage turned around. "Oh before I forget, I wanted to thank you properly for protecting me from that Suna Shinobi's attack during the battle."

Before Naruto could even tell the red headed woman that he did not need her thanks. The female Mizukage leaned over to him and kissed the blonde boy on his left cheek, causing him to turn bright red, where it almost seemed like steam he would blow out form his ears at any moment.

Naturally after seeing this, the eyes of everyone in the room widened in shock.

Tsunade even had to restrain herself from strangling the woman, since she was already in a bad mood over Mai. But even so, her irritation was obvious, given the large tick mark that appeared on her head after she saw the female Kage kiss her son.

"Take care Naruto-san, I'm certain we will meet each other again soon" said the Mizukage with a smile and waved before she leaving with a still stunned Ao.

Shortly after the Raikage got over his surprise at what he had seen and bided the two Sannin and the Hokage goodbye and left with his bodyguard Darui.

After the two Kages left, the three Konoha Shinobi turned to Naruto, who now had a dreamily look on his face and held the cheek the Mizukage kissed him on.

Seeing this Jiraiya just smirked and thought, "Older, good looking and a powerful Kunoichi to booth…yep, the kid has definitely inherited his father's taste in women." Although at the same time the white haired Sannin could not help but envy his godson luck when he was kissed by the red headed beauty.

Eventually though Naruto was knocked out of his day dream by his mother, who was even more irritable now and slapped him in the back of his head to wake him up.

"Now that you've stopped daydreaming you can tell us about your little about that outer body experience you had."

Rubbing his head, Naruto decided to accommodate his mother given the mood she was in, Naruto filled in his family how he met and talked to the Shodai and the others.

Naturally the three were sceptical with what Naruto told them, but after he described Tsunade's parents and Nawaki perfectly. They had no choice but to believe him, since Tsunade had never shown Naruto any pictures of her parents or brother.

When Naruto mentioned what the Shodai had told him about the relationship between the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clans, all three members were shocked. Given how they were completely unaware of any of this; Tsunade was of course the most shocked, since she had believed she knew everything about their Clan history.

They were further surprised to hear about what the Shodai had told him about a group of people who had helped the former Hokage learn to use and control his Mokuton Bloodline limit.

They were also curious about the prophecy mentioned by the Shodai which seemed to involve Naruto, which in turn remained Jiraiya about child of the prophecy, told to him by the Great Toad Sage. This of course made the white haired man wonder if it the two prophecies were somehow linked to one another.

After a while though, after much talk, they decided to leave the matter for now and let Naruto rest. Jiraiya although stated that he would talk to the Toad Sages about it and ask if they knew anything about the valley of the four winds, given how none of them had even heard of the place.

A few hours after the incident with Mai and the Kages, Naruto was bombarded by a large group of vistors, which included the majority of the Konoha nine (exception of Sasuke, Sai), along with Killer Bee, Zabuza and their teams.

Accompany them as well were Yamato and Kushina who had been ordered by Tsunade to watch Naruto, given how the blonde's ANBU guard were still MIA.

"Naruto-kun!" cried Ino, who was carrying get well hamper filled with fruit, and quickly raced over to the blonde boy and hugged him tightly.

"I heard how you protected Sakura and me from Sabaku no Gaara, and then defeated him."

As Ino continued to hug her spiky haired hero tightly several girls started to form large ticks on the heads over the scene.

"Ahem," coughed an irritated Yugito, gaining everyone's attention, "If you don't mind could you let go of Naruto, as you seem to be holding him too tightly."

Looking up at the crush, Ino finally notice the discomforted look Naruto had, and remembered that the blonde boy was still recovering from his battles.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun" Ino said as she quickly got off the boy and placed the fruit basket on his beside cabinet.

"You tell her kitten, don't give her a chance to sink her claws into your man!" cheered the Nibi.

"You will shut up Nibi… how many times do I have to tell you, that I don't think of Naruto that way?"

"And how many times are you going to keep denying the truth that you have feelings for the boy?" asked the Monster Cat. "Please I could sense your irritation when you saw that girl hug him. Not to mention you called him Naruto-kun when you and those girls were fighting that other guy, and do I even have to have to bring up what happened between you and him at the end of your match?"

At the mention of the event between her at Naruto after their match, the blonde haired Kunouhi blushed from embarrassment, which thankfully was not notice by anyone.

"You know damn well how that happened, and if I could have moved back then, I would've killed him!"

"Well you didn't, and even though you won't admit it, even to yourself. I bet you enjoyed it a little, especially the part where he snuggled deeper into your chest and…" said the Nibi before her voice was drowned out by the mental screams of a red face Yugito. Who then pushed out the Nibi's conscious from her mind, not wanting to listen to her tenant's thoughts anymore.

"You okay Yugito, you seem to be a bit red?" asked Karui, who notice how red she was looking.

"I'm fine…" Yugito replied quickly, "I'm just a little warm, that's all."

Hearing this Karui just shrugged it off, although both Samui and Omou raised their eyebrows slightly, unsure whether to believe their team-mate or not.

Once Ino had got off him, Naruto quickly assured the blonde girl that he was fine, after which he then received several bunches of flowers from an embarrassed Sakura and Hinata. (4)

This was followed up by several congratulations from the rest of Naruto friends, who were glad that their blonde friend was alive and well.

After thanking the girls for their gifts, the blonde was soon bombarded with a dozen questions from his friends, asking him if he was alright and what happened in his fight with Gaara along with what happened inside the barrier.

After assuring everyone that he was fine Naruto the preceded to retell the story of his fight with Gaara, knowing that none of them would let up until they heard the story himself.

For the next half hour, Naruto explained to them what happened in his battle with Gaara. When he had finished his story, his audience was left wide eyed, especially after hearing how Naruto summoned both Katuya and Gamabunta.

Some also even made a mental note to never piss Naruto off; given how badly the blonde beat Gaara. Others however wondered just how strong Naruto really was to do everything he did that day.

Once he had finished telling what happened between him and Gaara, Naruto moved on to what happened inside the barrier.

When the group heard about how Naruto was stabbed through the heart by Orochimaru's sword, they were of course shocked and asked the blonde how he was still alive.

Naruto of course quickly used the cover story that his mother had told him to use; stating that at the last moment before he lost consciousness he used the Sōzō Saisei to heal himself and explained to them how it worked.

Thankfully the group accepted the story without question; especially after Naruto showed them the diamond shaped seal on his forehead and explained how the Jutsu worked.

It was at this point though that Killer Bee revealed a large stereo that seemly brought with him and stated that in celebration of Naruto's victory and revival, he had created a new rap for him.

After hitting the play button, a steady rapping beat was heard from the large stereo, where Killer Bee began one of his "stylish" dances before he began to sing.

"Yo! Say! Ho! Know my name, know my fame, don't be lame! Eight tails, that's me, da rappin Killer Bee. First all off, I'm here to say, one Senju Naruto is a bad ass dude. His Mokuton is a major component, right from the top, he's a worthy opponent…oh yea!"

This of course continued for several minutes, where for the majority of the time, most of the people in the room had large sweat drops on the back of their head as they watched the man dance and rhyme…badly."

Naruto though like Kushina just laughed at Killer Bee's antics, while Omoi and Karui cheered their Sensei on…at least until Yugito had enough of her sensei's idiocy and bashed him on the head and stop the stereo, ending his rap.

Covering the large bump on his head Killer began to mumble about how a genius was never appreciated in his own time. Although then mention about maybe getting some TLC (Tender Loving Care) from a certain female medic.

Hearing this, Naruto suddenly remembered something, and called the rapping Kumo-nin over.

"Hey Bee-sensei can you come over here I want to tell you something."

"Sure what's up little dude?" asked the dark skinned man as he walked over Naruto. Who then punched him right in the face with an Chakra enhanced punch, sending Killer Bee flying right through the room wall, and crashing into the outside wall.

"STAY AWAY FROM MY MOTHER!"

"Whoa looks likes the brat is recovering quicker than we thought" mutter an impressed Kushina as she peered out the new hole in the wall and saw Killer Bee lying on the floor.

"I told cha I'd reach time top, I'm already seeing stars" mumbled the male jinchūriki before he blanked out.

Seeing Yamato faced palmed himself knowing the trouble this would cause.

"Troublesome" muttered Shikamaru as he shook his head.

"Tsk, and he gives out about his mother being overprotective, he's as bad as her" Yugito thought as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Damn, Hey boy remind me never to say anything bad about Naruto's mom in front of him" Kiba said quietly to his canine partner, who barked in reply, indicating he would.

Seeing that everyone was now distracted with how Killer Bee was doing after Naruto sent him through the wall. Zabuza silently maneuvered himself next to Naruto, where he quickly gained the blonde's attention.

"Hey brat" said Zabuza in a low voice.

"Huh what's wrong Zabuza?" replied Naruto.

"What are you feelings regarding Haku?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me, what are your feelings regarding Haku?"

"She one of my closet friends and I care about her, if it wasn't for her, I probably would have been killed in the Forest of Death."

"Friends, huh?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Let me just give you a word of advice brat" said the Demon of the Hidden Mist and he lowered his face to Naruto and looked directly into his eyes. "Haku is a sweet and innocent kid. Who despite having gone through so much shit in her life the past few years has maintained a kind and caring heart. So should you ever hurt in her in any way…I'll gut you like a fish and mount your head on my wall."

Once Zabuza had finished, the Mist Swordsman, began to leak out a small amount of Killing Intent, just to make his point clear, where for a moment Naruto was certain he saw the face of a demon appear behind the man.

"So do we understand each other brat?" Zabuza asked giving Naruto a deadly glare, causing the blonde boy to gulp in fear and sweat a little before quickly nodding.

"Good" replied Zabuza, before heard someone speaking to them.

"Is everything alright Naruto-kun, Zabuza-sama?" asked Haku, who was walked over to the two.

"Yea, everything is fine, I was just giving the kid some tips on how to improve on his Suiton Ninjutsu…isn't that right brat?" said Zabuza as he gave Naruto a dark looking glance.

"Yes, that right" Naruto replied quickly, knowing that if he said otherwise, his life would be forfeited by the sword wielding Shinobi.

"I see replied Haku, who seemed pleased that her master and Naruto were getting along.

After a little more talking the large group slowly started to leave one by one, so to give Naruto rest more.

Before leaving Naruto called over Yugito, and handed her a scroll that he had gotten Shizune to pick up for him. He then told the blonde girl not to open it until she got back to Kumo.

Now normally if a foreign Shinobi told her to do that, Yugito would have given it straight back to the Shinobi, believing it to be some kind of booby-trap. But given how said Shinobi was Naruto, she decided to trust him and promised him she wouldn't open until she arrived home.

As Haku and her team were bidding their farewell to Naruto, the young ice user decided to do something very brash, knowing that it would probably be the last time she would see Naruto for a while.

Moving over to Naruto, Haku whispered in Naruto's right ear and said, "I'm glad you're okay Naruto-kun, please continue to stay safe."

After which she then kissed Naruto on his cheek, before moving away from him.

This action of course caused many of the boys, (especially Naruto), and some of the girls to blush at Haku's action. Although at the same time, some of the girls glared angrily at Haku, who was blushing a bit as she quickly moved out of the room. But before she left, Yugito and some of the girls were certain they saw Haku smirk, as if gloating at her own personal victory over them.

Seeing this Yugito could not help but feel slightly jealous over what Haku did, even though she did not understand why she was feeling this way.

At the same time Kushina, who remained in the corner of the room with Yamato smirked, knowing teasing material she had just gotten and would use on her student once he was fit for duty.

As a blushing Naruto tried to sort out what had just happened, he noticed Zabuza glaring at him slightly, where before leaving the room after Haku. He brought up his right thumb up to his throat and slide it across the other end.

Getting the meaning to what the Mist Swordsman was getting at Naruto gulped again and thought. "Why do I get the feeling that my life has suddenly just gotten a lot more complicated."

-Unknown Location-

Somewhere in a dark underground cave two lone shadowy figures stood together, where the only sound that could be heard was the slow dripping of water falling from stalactites.

After a few minutes seven more shadowy figures appeared, one after the other, where the only discernible feature that linked the nine figures together were the red clouds on their black cloaks, indicating that they were members of the Akatsuki.

"The last time we all met like this…was seven years ago when Orochimaru left the organisation" said one of the figures. "So what's the occasion?"

"An unforeseeable individual as appeared…one who could possibly interfere with our objective" answered the leader of the group.

"Who is it?" asked another member of the group, who was curious as to who could interfere with their plan.

"A young Konoha Genin, Senju Naruto" replied the leader.

"Who?" asked a different member.

"Where the hell have you been staying…? Under a rock?" mocked one member taller members of the group. "Senju Naruto is the son of Senju Tsunade-sama, the entire Shinobi world has been up in an up roar about him for the past three months."

"Fuck you, fish breath!" rounded the anger member. "Maybe I'll offer you up to Jashin-sama as sacrifice to him, even though a blasphemer like you is unworthy of such an honour!"

"Heh, you're welcome to try Zombie boy" the same member replied.

"Enough!" spoke the leader loudly, causing the two members to halt their arguing.

"The boy is much more of a threat than any of you realize."

"How can a kid, let alone a mere Genin be a threat to our plan?" asked one of the shadowy figures.

"The boy is no ordinary Genin given his heritage alone" said another member of the group who was clearly female given the sound of her voice. "Not only does he possess the ability to use the same kind of superhuman strength his mother Tsunade-sama has. But he possesses an affinity for Suiton that rivals even his ancestor the Nidaime Hokage."

Naturally many of the other members of the Akatsuki were surprised by this. But before any of them could comment, their leader spoke again.

"But the more important issue is that he possesses Mokuton, the same power of his ancestor the Shodai Hokage. That is why he is a threat to our plan."

After hearing this the eyes of nearly everyone in the group widen slightly in surprise.

"How is that possible? Mokuton is a mutation the Shodai Hokage-sama alone had, it is not a true Bloodline limit" asked one of the Akatsuki members.

"It would seem that is no longer the case, although it should be noted that he is not the only person who possesses Mokuton. There is another in Konoha who is capable of using it, thanks to the experiments that were performed on him by Orochimaru, who attempted to recreate the Shodai Hokage-sama's power for himself. But from what we have learned, this person powers pales in comparison to the Shodai Hokage-sama, therefore his threat level is not as great as the boy."

"Why that's?" asked one of the members.

"Given how Tsunade-sama's son inherited his Mokuton powers from birth, it would make sense that he would be able to use the ability better, since he had it naturally" replied the female member.

"Indeed, although it should be noted that the boy has already proven himself, where he fought and defeated two of our targets" added the Akatsuki leader.

"Who?" asked one member.

"The jinchūriki of the Ichibi no Shukaku (One-Tailed Beast) Sababku no Gaara (Gaara of the Sand Waterfall), and the jinchūriki of the Nibi no Bakeneko (Two-Tailed Monster Cat) Nii Yugito."

After hearing this, the other Akatsuki members were once again surprised, although before any of them could comment, the Akatsuki leader turned to one of the members.

"Zetsu, please tell the other the events that you witness."

Nodding to this Zetsu then began to explain the events of the Chunin exam, as he had been order to sneak into the village and watch the event. After the Akatsuki learned that three of their targets would be all located in one place.

His orders were to spy on the Chunin exam and gather data on the fighting abilities of the three jinchūriki as well as try and gather information on the Kyubi jinchūriki. Whose identity still remained unknown to the Akatsuki.

After Zetsu finished retelling Naruto's battles with Yugito and Naruto, many of the members were left rather impressed with the young Senju heir.

"WWWooo that kid is pretty good; he sounds like the Senju Clan version of you Itachi" said one of the Akastuki members as he turned to the Uchiha and let out a low whistle, indicating that like the others, he was impressed with Naruto's skill

The former Uchiha heir of course did not reply to his partner comment and remained silent.

"Do you wish for one of us to eliminate the boy?" asked another member, who had a slightly hunched form.

"No, instead I wish for him to be captured?"

"Huh, But why?"

"Although the boy does pose a threat to our plan, at the same time he could prove to be a powerful asset in our goal in obtaining all nine jinchūriki, where with his help our task could be made much easier. He has also already proven that he is capable of suppressing the Chakra of Biju."

"That may be true, but from what Zetsu has told us, he is still a long way off from being able to be of any real use to us. He was barely able to suppress the Nibi's Chakra, and that was only a portion of its power. Also both Nibi and Shukaku are among the weakest of the Biju and their jinchūriki are among the youngest and most inexperienced of the nine jinchūriki. Unlike the more senior jinchūriki, they cannot control or use their Biju full powers, and it is unlikely he could suppress a fully realised jinchūriki like the Hachibi jinchūriki" said the hunch back member.

"Yea" said the hunch back member's partner, who only had one eye visible. "We don't need his help; we can capture the other jinchūriki ourselves."

"That may be true, but we are still several years away from moving forward with our plan and given the boy's rapid progress already. There is little doubt that his strength would continue to grow, especially with the correct training. Not to mention capturing him could aid us in our quest to locate and capture the Kyubi jinchūriki, especially if what Zetsu has told me is true."

"Then who will you send to capture the boy" asked the Hunch back member, while at the same time thinking. "Perhaps once we have finished with the boy, I can turn his body into a puppet, as a Mokuton using puppet would make a true work of art…A masterpiece that would last through the ages."

"I will send Itachi and Kisame to capture the Senju heir" the leader replied.

"But why? They are the furthest away from Konoha, it would take them at least a month to get there. Hidan and I are nearer and could capture him, I also have previous experience fighting a Mokuton user, given how I fought the Shodai Hokage-sama" said one of the Akatsuki members. Who was rather intrigued with meeting the heir of the founder of Konoha, not only because of his history with the former Senju leader. But also because he was certain that he could make a tidy profit out of the boy's corpse, once they were finished with him. Since he was certain many villages would pay a handsome price to have the body of a Mokuton user.

"No Kakuzu, you and Hidan are more useful in gathering and collecting bounties for our organisation. Also this mission requires more stealth and finesses, if you two were to go; things would escalate into an all-out battle with Konoha and we cannot afford to draw that much attention onto organisation yet. That is also why I will not send Sasori and Deidara…Itachi and Kisame are much more suited for this mission, where given Itachi's familiarity with Konoha's security and weaknesses. They can enter the village without alerting Konoha's forces and capture and leave with the boy before they are aware of what happened."

Nodding in understanding, the group remained silent and listened to what else their leader had planned once they had captured Naruto.

When he finished explaining the rest of his plan to the other members of the group, they slowly disappeared one by one, until only the leader and his partner were left.

Once the others had gone the leader and his partnered turned to the dark corner of the cave.

"Do you have any objections to what I have planned?" asked the leader as he looked towards the dark corner of the cave, and to the true leader of the Akatsuki. Who remained hidden in the shadows.

Like the other Akatsuki members astro forms, the figure was cloaked in darkness, where all one could make out was the red clouds on his black cloak and a singular eye, which held the Sharingan.

"I have no objections, in fact I am rather interested in the boy myself and would like to meet the descendant of my old rival Hashirama" replied the dark figure. "Also tell Itachi and Kisame to be cautious with him, the line of the Senju should never be underestimated."

"Understood…Madara-sama."